Decimalising time

PURCHASING a train ticket online from www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk, Adrian Brasnett was relieved to receive an email confirming it - and puzzled to read that his train departed at "0.35416667". After a little thought, he multiplied that by 24 and got (near enough) 8.5 - so he went to the station at 8.30 am and, indeed, found his train.

How wonderfully forward-looking and rational. In years to come, he asks, will we be saying "Let's meet after work at 0.75 for a drink, but I can only stay for 0.041666667"?

He wrote to tell us this at 0.6042 on the 25th day of the month of Nivôse in the year 217 of the French Revolutionary decimal calendar, by the way. His message for some reason got mis-filed.